BEREA, Ohio -- Joe Thomas has brought some perspective to the words of a New York Jets rookie, who said earlier this week at a fan forum that the playing field would be "the perfect place to die."

Jamal Adams' comments came after results of a study were released; the study showed that 110 of 111 brains of deceased NFL players suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease. Adams is the son of a former NFL player.

Thomas, a Cleveland Browns offensive tackle, did not torch Adams, who was cheered by some fans as he made his comments while sitting next to commissioner Roger Goodell. But Thomas did offer insight.

"You look at sort of the old-school football mentality that a lot of players were kind of raised under," Thomas said. "It was all about a warrior mentality where you wanted to give everything you have for the team. And that's the way you want to get the most out of your players.

"But it's important for all the players to understand that we play the game and it's not that serious. We always have to think about our health and safety when we're out there. While understanding that this is an entertainment sport, it's not life and death."

Thomas has acknowledged that he experiences memory loss, which some retired players have also reported. The 32-year-old cannot say, however, that his memory loss is caused by anything more than growing older and being busier. He says he will continue to closely monitor his health as his career progresses.

Adams later clarified that his remarks were about his passion for the game.

"Hopefully he was talking about when he was in his late 90s and had lived a great life already," Thomas said. "I think the player did come out and say maybe he got wrapped up in the moment and didn't actually mean that he's willing to die on the field or wants to die on the field."